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Peck's Mill

Willington, CT

Description

This former mill site is owned by the Town of Willington. This is a pleasant place to stop for lunch and to see the remains of the old Peck’s Mill and Bridge. Access is by canoe or kayak in a section of the river classed as quick-water, which is appropriate for experienced river paddlers. Check the Canoe and Kayak Map for details about the river's hazards, features and launch sites.

Directions

The mill site is about two-and-a-half miles downstream of the launch area at Heron Cove Park on South River Road in Tolland. After passing under the Depot Road bridge, then twice under a railroad trestle, watch for a very large mid-stream boulder. Around a bend toward the right, a smaller mid-stream boulder and a widened river indicate the mill pond area. The mill site is on the left at a rocky section of the river. Stay close to the left bank, watch for rocks, and put in at a small sandy shore just below where the mill race's channel meets the river.

The closest take-out site downstream is at Jones Crossing, less than a mile downriver. This take-out is on the right a short distance below the Route 195 bridge, on the downstream side of the old Jones Crossing bridge abutment (the bridge is gone). The trip's total mileage is three and a half miles one way.

See Midriver Map

Trail Notes

From the landing area, an informal trail leads upstream and crosses a small seasonal brook on stepping stones. The trail passes between the mill’s tailrace (water channel) on the left and a pile of rounded river stones on the right, which was probably the support for an early bridge. A similar pile can be seen across the river in Tolland. A later, and much higher, bridge was built just upstream. Its abutment of large rectangular stones is just ahead. Follow the trail uphill and walk out on top of this abutment, where you can see the matching stones across the river when the leaves are off the trees. Two piles of smaller stones below this abutment probably were a base for the bridge frame. Any mid-river piles are gone; perhaps they are part of the rocky bottom in this stretch of the river.

The Peck Bridge was built by the Town of Willington in 1792 or 1793. It was discontinued in 1873, but meantime it served as a way for Tolland residents to reach the mill. Standing on the abutment, one can imagine wagons, loaded with grain or wood, crossing the bridge to the mill, then returning home with flour or lumber aboard.

The Mill Site

Thomas Peck built a mill here in 1779. It probably began as a gristmill and sawmill, then added a "cloathing works" and finishing shop in 1793. By 1812, all these operations were still running. By 1844, the mill operations had ceased. The mill probably was located on the mound just upstream of the former bridge. Stone retaining walls have preserved the mound during floods, but the wooden structures are long gone. Climb up onto the mound (in background of photo) for a view of the mill works. The mill dam extended from the base of the mound across the river. The mill pond behind the dam lapped against the upstream wall of this mound, and filled the wide place in the river. Eventually the pond area next to the mound has filled with silt, and trees have grown up on the accumulated soil. When the mill was operating, the pond’s water flowed into the race (in foreground of photo) and turned a water wheel suspended in raceway. That wheel was probably located in the section of the race that is now filled with stones from collapsed retaining walls. After turning the wheel, the water returned to the river through the tailrace channel, which now contains water backed up from the river.

Credits

Thanks to the Isabel Weigold and the Willington Conservation Commission for their assistance.

Photos: D. Schreiber.

This Willimantic River Greenway Parks and Trails Guide was produced by the Willimantic River Alliance and WINCOG. Information in this guide reflects conditions and features as of Spring, 2008. Since conditions change over time, the Alliance is not responsible for changes at this site. This guide was funded with support from the Quinebaug-Shetucket Heritage Corridor, Inc.